The Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Class of 2009 Prepares To Launch Ventures
On Monday, April 20, Entrepreneurial Greenhouse students gathered as a class for the last time to present their businesses at The Yale Club to a room full of VCs, faculty, administrators and alumni. Twenty-six students representing twenty-one ventures were admitted into the competitive Program this year, a class for second year student entrepreneurs designed to help prepare their businesses for investment by providing access to experts in key fields, funding for pre-launch expenses and opportunities to present business concepts to professional investors.
Some of this year’s ventures are in the retail, real estate, technology, and healthcare industry sectors. Venture projects include a natural and organic skincare product line, a parent-monitored, money management and shopping website for kids, a contemporary handbag line and a corporate communications tool targeted at human resources professionals.
The Lang Center's Entrepreneur in Residence, Professor Clifford Schorer, launched the program at the School and has taught the class for the past eight years. The goal of the class is simple: provide aspiring entrepreneurs at Columbia with the platform and support to ‘hit the ground running' upon graduation. “We have a portfolio of companies that have been effectively started right out of the program” Schorer said. He added, "The level of committment, enthusiasm and passion of our students is truly inspiring."